Hiveswap Friendship Simulator: Volume Four
|release = May 25, 2018 |author = Lalo Hunt (Tagora) Magdalena Clark (Vikare) |artist = Gina Chacón (Characters, backgrounds, endings) Danny Cragg (Backgrounds) |music = "Call Me Gor Gor" by James Roach "Thip Of The Tongue" by Alexander Rosetti |previous = Volume Three: Of Ladies Grey and Lusii White |next = Volume Five: Of Affection, Unwanted or Untrue }} Hiveswap Friendship Simulator: Volume Four, entitled "Of Wright and Wronged", is the fourth installment of Hiveswap Friendship Simulator, a series of "loosely-canonical" Hiveswap spinoff visual novels in the style of dating sim games, but termed "friendship simulators" instead due to their focus on platonic friendships instead of romance. The befriendable characters in this installment (first introduced in the Troll Call) are Tagora Gorjek and Vikare Ratite. As with all Friendsim installments, Volume Four was developed and programmed by David Turnbull using the Ren'Py game engine. Volume four was announced and released on the same day, on May 25, 2018, two weeks after the release of Volume Three. As with the previous volumes, it is sold as $0.99 DLC for Volume One. It was also made available on the Google Play Store for the same amount. Plot Despite your injuries, both old and new, you make your way back to civilization. You're excited at the prospect of new adventures, and the most important thing of all, new friends. Tagora You wander down a not-too-demolished part of town, not paying attention, and are hit by a car, sending you into a thorny bush. The driver opts to speed away instead of helping, shouting obscenties. After checking for further injuries and struggling to get up, Tagora comes over and offers to help sue the driver. When he begins talking to you, a teal box appears above him that says "Payment owed for legal serivces offered", with a $50 Introductory Fee. The price increases by $10 every time he finishes a sentence. When he realizes you're an alien, $200 gets added as well, plus another $60 when you get confused. $500 dollars of initial legislaceration costs gets added after all this. However, you don't have a cent to your name. *If you offer to pay him back in friendship instead of money, he tells you he doesn't do charity, and walks away. FRIENDSHIP IS ''NOT ''A CURRENCY *If you lie, and tell him you have heaps of money, he helps you out of the thorn bush after watching you struggle, and adds an extra $110 for the manual labor. He then leads you to his hive so you can get cleaned up and begin talking buisness. You prepare yourself cages or monsters in his hive, but discover upon arrival that this is not the case. Instead you see a clean and immaculate chrome setting. You find this and the lack of visible weapons to be creepy, and ask if he just moved in. His answer is no, and he then adds $1500 to your bill for "Life story instalment". Tagora tells you to go to his ablution trap while he prepares the contract, but you don't know if you want to go anywhere that involves "trap" right in its name. **If you decide against it, you tell him it might be the better move for both of you. He decides you're right, thinking that it would be more emotionally effective if you still look like you just got run over. He tells you to frown, so you make yourself look as pathetic as possible, and he charges $450 as "Pungency payment". You then pretend to limp a few steps toward him, and he adds another $450 for getting closer with the way you smell. He then tells you to wait while he types up and prints out the contract, charging $100 for the ink. He hands you the document and paraphrases what it says, adding $1250 for "shrunken text expense". You sign the document, and Tagora asks you if you're ready head out, subtracting $100 for swearing twice in the process. You begin retracing your steps to the place you got hit, and you wonder where this trial is going to take place, and if anyone is going to subpoena the person that hit you. You ask Tagora, who tells you not to worry about it, that it's for him to deal with, and that he saw the perpetrator and has more than enough evidence against them. He mentions they may not need to involve them at all, and adds $150 for a potential frame-job. You continue walking, feeling comfortable being able to just do what you're told and being around his confidence, when a blue blooded troll begins to approach you and Tagora suddenly stops walking and stands straighter. Tagora greets the troll, and he smiles. You begin to introduce yourself when Tagora shoots you a look to stay cool, which is when you realize this isn't a friendly smile. When Tagora brings up that you two have a "working relationship" in rebuttal to one of the troll's remarks, you try to make yourself look pathetic, and hobble around a little bit. This causes the blueblood to scoff at Tagora, saying that it was a complete waste to expend any energy on you. The highblood then leaves, and you are slightly concerned as Tagora begins to lose his cool. In an effort to reassure Tagora, you try to give him a pat on the shoulder, but he whirls on you, incensed at losing a good networking opportunity. As Tagora's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, you decide to extract yourself from the situation before things spiral even further out of control. Unfortunately for you, Tagora insists that backing out of a deal isn't allowed and takes you elsewhere. Starting conversation with Tagora irks him even more, and only too late do you realize that he's led you to a spottier part of town. Claiming that he no longer wishes to waste your time or his in a long, ardous court battle, he declares you guilty. To your ultimate horror, Tagora attracts the attention of a nearby Imperial Drone and sics it on you. You try to find a place to hide, screaming in fear all the while. Tagora off-handedly mentions that there was a sewer in the next street over, though he doubts your chances of making it. In the off-chance that you do survive the ordeal, however, he reminds you to check your pocket so you may pay for all the services rendered. You flee the scene, an Imperial Drone hot on your tail. GAME OVER **If you take a shower, his lusus leads you to a posh bathroom. You are surprised that the doors weren't locked the moment you were left alone in there, so you take the opportunity to indulge and practice self-care. In the process, you use up a generous amount of irridescent substance before exiting the washroom clad in one of Tagora's satin bathrobes. Upon your return, Tagora takes note of your current appearance, mentioning that going for a full-body application of rainbow drinker serum is a bold choice. He admits that it was a rare and expensive product, but decides to let it slide on the account that you are a person of means (he fully expects to be remunerated, though). As you want to leave a good impression on him, you comment on the sumptous array of self-care products in his bathroom. Tagora agrees that people don't take skincare as seriously as they should, then appears to have trouble making a decision. With a bit of difficulty, he asks whether you would like to see the full effect of the serum outside. You agree, and are more than stunned to see that you are now bathed in an ethereal glow courtesy of the serum. Tagora compliments you on your appearance, though he still expresses minor distaste over the fact that you have no horns and are still wearing his bathrobe. Elated, you ask whether the look would help you in your case. Distracted, Tagora mumbles something about your case, though he's staring at the papers on his desk. Then a blueblood rounds the corner, catching sight of the two of you. Tagora is instantly on edge, though his reaction only served to confuse you. When the highblood recoils in shock upon realizing what you really are, you decide to put on an act as Tagora seems to be frozen in shock. You put on your best fancy guy voice and casually enquire whether the blueblood has seen one before, causing the interloper to back off in fright. Tagora jumps in on the act, mocking the blueblood for not being able to identify a rainbow drinker despite being an intellectual. When the blueblood finally disappears, you ask Tagora what exactly a rainbow drinker is. Tagora is both parts stunned and impressed by your ability to improvise despite not having an inkling of what a rainbow drinker is, and tells you not to worry about the blueblood as Tagora loathes the guy. Tagora thanks you for making a clear superior fear him, then reveals that he's never seen an alien before, contradicting his introductory remarks. Since he's coming clean, you decide to do the same and tell him that you have no possible way of paying him for his services. To your surprise, Tagora brushes the fact aside and decides to put the case on hold, telling you that you wouldn't have liked the outcome of Alternia's legal system anyway. He suggests other means of working off your debt, and claims that being in a legitimate partnership with you would be better than he'd previously anticipated. He shakes hands with you, delighted with the prospect of tackling bigger and better things with you by his side. He then asks you to sign a document in the end. VICTORY! Just sign here Vikare You head back to the site of your crashed spaceship, taking comfort in its familiarity despite it being damaged beyond repair. Hopeful that maybe something can be salvaged from the wreck, you increase your pace. Then you notice that there's someone standing near your spaceship, seemingly assessing it before pilfering some gears from the chasis. Indignant, you get his attention by clearing your throat loudly. Vikare is surpised by your presence, claiming that he's never seen an alien before. Sensing his friendliness, you calm down to consider him as a possible friend. You give him the usual drivel regarding your origins, and stress the fact that you are in need of a friend. Unfortunately for you, your implied suggestion goes right over Vikare's head, the bronzeblood stating his desire to explore space. Despite his apparent enthusiasm, you get the feeling that he's hinting at something different. Vikare then enquires whether you have an interest in spaceflight like he does. *If you tell him that you're all aabout spaceflight, he will quickly conclude that there is nothing for you and him to talk about as you both are in total agreement. He then leaves, leaving you confused. ~TOODLE-OO!~ *If you tell him that you aren't particularly certain about spaceflight, he delightedly deduces that you are one of a more sophisticated palate, and believes that a trip to his hive is in order. Leading you to a hive supported on stilts, he takes you up via pulley-operated elevator and shows you around. Though the decor mostly consists of pro-spaceflight posters and numerous spaceship models, you notice that Vikare's a little gloomy. After a chatting for a bit, Vikare confesses that he has no real desire to explore the cosmos, only wanting to partake in flight within Alternia's atmosphere. He shamefully reveals other posters hidden behind the ones on display, saying that going on obligated space travel does nothing to pique his interest whatsoever. He then asks you whether you can picture a flying machine in its full glory. **If you tell him that planes exist, he will get offended and upset by your apparent mockery, shedding tears. He scoffs at the insinuation that flying machines aren't to be taken seriously, then pointedly asks you to leave. You take the elevator down, a hand to your forehead in dismay as an angry Vikare watches from the entrance of his hive. GAME OVER **If you tell him that you've never heard of such a thing, he goes on to talk about his interests for a bit. Hungry, you enquire whether he has something for you to satiate your hunger. Vikare isn't upset with your interruption in the slightest, then wonders whether to search for food outside his hive or within the confines of his nutrition block. ***Should you choose to stay in the hive, he will jump to the conclusion that you are in need of food for the soul, not an actual meal. You try to correct him, though you don't get an opportunity to do so as he rambles for quite a bit. Vikare then assumes that you have a deep desire to have a peek at his flying machine design sketches, and you agree out of politeness and fondness for his enthusiasm. Before he shows you his schematics, however, he insists on putting you through a test as said designs are very near and dear to his heart. You decide to go along, and he soon returns with a blindfold in hand, indicating that you were to search for his blueprints while he gives you instructions. Mishap occurs when you collide into something, falling onto the floor and bleeding from your newly sustained injuries. Vikare is mortified despite your attempts to brush off your wounds, though he calms down soon enough. He then exclaims that you've bestowed upon him the greatest trust of all time—giving him a glimpse of your blood colour—and immediately deems you worthy of looking at his blueprints. He reappeares with his designs in hand, and you pore through them with interest. With growing unease, you notice that the parts for the flying machine mostly consist of organic parts; some from monstrous creatures, some from trolls. Disturbed by the macabre designs, you ask him why there was a need for organic materials, to which he jovially explains that working with limited resources is his only means of getting things done. Even with Vikare's reassurance that the materials would all be collected from culled lowbloods and grubs, you fail to hide your apprehension and he gets the implied message that you are fearful of him harvesting your bones for contruction material. Aghast with your insinuation, he becomes upset with the perception that he was one to collect organs on a whim regardless of the overflowing supply of ribcages that have been thoughtlessly discarded. He dismisses the notion of being friends with you, though he mistakenly thinks that you are after romance. After apologizing, he insists that you leave his place. You take your leave, Vikare tearfully clutching at his blueprints and glaring daggers at you. MISUNDERSTOOD ***Should you choose to forage for food outside his hive, he casually adds that searching for food for his lusus would be in order. The two of you then walk around, on the hunt for white flowers with red leaves—food for his lusus. You chat with him, asking him about what led to his interest in aviation. He proceeds to explain the freedom associated with flight, since it isn't part of an obligation like space travel. Since you are having trouble grasping the gist of what he's saying, you quickly point out a clump of white flowers nearby, though you are quickly disappointed when the leaves of said plant were blue instead of red. Vikare reassures you that these plants were for people to eat, and offers you one. Munching on a leaf, you ask whether he has any plans of flying away from Alternia, should he someday construct a fully functional flying machine. Flustered, Vikare is rendered speechless. In an attempt to alleviate the tension, you point to a random direction and yell that there were flowers for Vikare's lusus. Eager for a distraction, Vikare goes running in said direction, but then disappears from view. Shocked, you realize that you've just sent him plummeting off a cliff. One of Vikare's legs is broken, though he strangely isn't bothered by the whole ordeal. Instead of being angry or distressed, he thanks you for granting him the opportunity of achieving flight, however brief it may be. He implores you to join him down below, and you brainstorm a way to reach him at the base of the sheer drop and get him back to his hive. VICTORY! Character Sprites TagoraSprites.gif|Tagora's character sprites VikareSprites.gif|Vikare's character sprites Gallery Tagora friendship is not a currency.png|Tagora's first bad ending Tagora game over.png|Tagora's second bad ending Tagora friendship no horns.jpg|Tagora's original good ending screen, missing his horns TagoraWinWithHorns.png|Tagora's updated good ending screen, horns added Vikare toodleoo.png|Vikare's first bad ending Vikare game over.png|Vikare's second bad ending Vikare misunderstood.png|Vikare's third bad ending Vikare victory.png|Vikare's good ending Tagora ablution block.jpg|Tagora's ablution block Trivia *Vikare is the first Friendsim character to have four endings instead of three. *Vikare's lusus is revealed to be an emu, named the Canary. *Accidentally sending Vikare plummeting off a cliff seems to be a callback to Tavros'FLARPing accident. *Tumblr user and Friendsim worker Ginilla designed Vikare's room. *On initial release, the image for Tagora's good ending accidentally omitted his horns. The volume was quickly updated to add these. *Tagora's lusus is shown to be a ferret, though its name was never mentioned. *During the release of Volume 6, a bug was introduced into the game that caused a yellow silhouette of Folykl to inexplicably manifest on the screen during Tagora's route. *The bar at the top of the screen on Tagora's route reads "Payment owed for legal services offered:", then the number of money owed and presumably the symbol for Alternian currency. *The "Wright" in the title is a reference to the protagonist Phoenix Wright of the Ace Attorney courtroom-based video game series. It is also a reference to the Wright brothers, who are credited as having built the first functioning airplance. Category:Friendsim volumes